NOTE: I came across this inspiring report of churches stepping up to serve the community in light of the US government shutdown and thought I'd share about it directly from the press release. Feel free to share, link, pass along -- whatever works to inspire others to do the same. Let's get this service party started! With up to 31,000 employees being furloughed and over 190,000 small businesses affected directly by the government shutdown, New Jersey residents and businesses are far from … [Read more...]

Today I am pleased to feature the thoughts of Kendall Lyons, a talented youth pastor, cartoonist, and writer. Kendall supplied the fun illustrations for my e-book Finding the Curve: The Secret to Explosive Personal Growth — still available for free here. Grab a copy of Kendall’s delightful collection of short stories today at his site here or find him on Twitter here. You’ll be hearing much more from this talented leader in the years to come. He Told You!He Showed You!He Revealed To You! … [Read more...]

Just enjoyed another Catalyst 2013 Lab session in Atlanta, this one with Bethany Hoang, Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, and Peter Greer. [See my recent interview with Peter here.] Their session was cleverly titled “Fad, Fatigue, or Fidelity? Doing Good and Living our Calling for the Long Haul.”It’s topic I’ve written a bit about as I’ve uncovered my own identity as someone called to equip Christians to think, live, and lead with abundant faith. [See my Interview with Brad Lomenick on The Catalyst Leade … [Read more...]

Dr. Henry Cloud kicked off the opening session of Catalyst 2013 Labs with a session inspired by his new book Boundaries for Leaders. Dr. Cloud challenged Catalyst leaders to honestly acknowledge the reality gap that exists between what we know about leadership and what we actually experience in the real world of daily leadership struggles. As Christian leaders, we know our identity is in Christ. We believe that proposition. But how do we truly understand our identity? All too often we mi … [Read more...]

Does God use dreams to speak to Christians today?Many years ago, I would have immediately replied with a vehement and emphatic “No!” My fervor for protecting the place of Scripture as God’s revelation of Himself demanded it. Or so I thought.Now, I’m not so sure that dreams have no place alongside my continued insistence on the rightful place of Scripture as “the only rule to direct how we may glorify and enjoy Him.” As I read Scripture, I see God using dreams to guide His people, not just … [Read more...]

They say breaking up is hard to do. Especially when the romance is between our own foolish hearts and our ministry efforts. Sometimes it feels as if we should write a "Dear God," letter.When Peter Greer and I spoke recently [See my Interview with Peter Greer of Hope International] about his book The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good we touched on a topic that has come up a lot recently. I call it “Identity Withdrawal.”Incredibly well-written, Peter’s book manages to find that special combin … [Read more...]

Marriage is under attack in our culture. From the sexual revolution to the rise of divorce to the fight over same-sex marriage, this precious institution is being bombarded from all sides.And our children are right in the middle of it.Hollywood, the media, our school systems, and sometimes even fellow Christians are constantly portraying an untrue version of marriage to today's children and teens. And it's taking its toll.Most girls spend lots of time imagining their fairy tale … [Read more...]

My recent interview continues with Peter Greer. Peter is president and CEO of HOPE International, a global nonprofit focused on Christ-centered job creation, savings mobilization, and financial training. He is also the author of the new book The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good. You can hear Peter speaking in a lab session at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta October 2-4, 2013. Bill: Your chapter on Jesus as that 3 AM friend and your own candid sharing of shortcomings in that area of accoun … [Read more...]